Renault’s 1934 Nervasport Land Speed Record Car

Back in 2014, Renault began a project to resurrect the 1934 Renault Nervasport Land Speed Record Car. They completed it in 2016, and it’s magnificent.

The car was born from the Nervastella saloon car and features a monstrous, aviation-inspired, 4.8-litre inline eight-cylinder motor that makes up most of the its size. It claimed its fame in 1934 at the banked Montlhéry race circuit, where the team was aiming for a record-breaking 6,300 kilometers over 48 hours.

With driver Lois Wagner, they traversed 8,037 kilometers in 48 hours, 3 minutes and 14 seconds – an average speed of 167.445 kilometers per hour. This effort broke nine international records and three world records, including a 167 kilometer an hour average speed over 48 hours, 169.9 kilometer average over 4000 miles and 167.4 kilometer an hour average over 5000 miles.

Renault Classic’s mechanics began the project to rebuild the car in 2014, working from period photos and footage, as the original plans for it had not survived the war. The team deserves huge praise, not just for completing the project and for the quality of the work, but for embarking on such an ambitious and unusual project to bring this car back into the world.

This video comes from Montlhéry, where the car was unveiled and run after its restoration. Enjoy!